Civil Municipal - April 2024

house less than 100 people is now going to be home to more than 200,” says LaChapelle. “And it’s right on a major road; it’s across the street from our bike path.We’re really excited - this is exactly the project we want to shepard to realization.” The aesthetic beauty and sustainability elements of this pending project are important, but affordability is the key here. Easthampton is already growing more and more popular for its local artistry and social amenities. A dedication to affordable housing will only make the city more attractive for families, renters and elders struggling to stay in Easthampton and break into the larger surrounding communities, such as Northampton, Springfield, or Holyoke. In the meantime, Easthampton will continue to prioritize the relationship between environmental sustainability and urban development. Thanks to a seamless partnership between an affordable housing director and a private landowner, there are 96 additional affordable housing units in the works that will connect Easthampton’s two most disenfranchised neighborhoods. “The building itself will be in part modular, so it can go up much quicker than bricks and sticks,” says LaChapelle. LaChapelle believes that within the next two years, there needs to be a rush to improve Easthampton’s housing situation, even with the projects already listed. Go, go, go– it’s been her motto from the start. “We’re sailing onward, but the local economy’s “vessel” will struggle to stay afloat unless we can inject more housing units into our market within the next 18 months,” LaChapelle remarks. ‘A SKIP IN OUR STEP’: EASTHAMPTON’S GROWING SOCIAL OUTLETS LaChapelle says the town concentratedon redesigning its downtown core with an emphasis on arts, culture, and, you guessed it, housing production. In the center of that downtown area, Easthampton collaborated with a developer to construct 19 apartments, most of which are rented by young people, many of them students at local dance conservatories or aspiring artists between the ages of 18 and 26. Mind Left Body concert at CitySpace in the Blue Room Photo Credit: Parker-Burns Productions 72 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 5, ISSUE 04